Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

My auspicious introduction to Belle and Sebastian came through the film High Fidelity, in which Jack Black refers to the Scottish collective as “sad bastard music.” As one whose taste makes him predisposed to enjoying “sad bastard music”, I made haste to record stores and websites to investigate the band. I found a treasure trove of exquisitely melodic pop songs with a sardonic lyrical twist and have been hooked on the group ever since. The Life Pursuit finds Belle and Sebastian continuing in a progression away from “sad bastard music” with an album full of smart, whimsical, almost exclusively up-tempo tracks. While the band can still make the most melancholy of sentiments reverberate (especially on the delicately orchestrated “Dress Up In You”), the majority of the album’s successes center on a sound that assimilate a 1970’s era pop/rock feel complete with funky, shuffling rhythms and well-layered vocals. Opener “Act of the Apostle” utilizes a syncopated piano riff and the band’s hallmark religious imagery as the song’s protagonist ponders how living like an early Christian might alter her disbelief: “Oh, if I could make sense of it all…. /I would float along in my everlasting song/What would I do to believe?” The appropriately titled “Another Sunny Day” follows, marrying a cheery sound with classic lines like “I saw you in the corner of my eye on the sidelines/Your dark mascara bids me to historical deeds.” The consistency of quality lags a bit during The Life Pursuit’s middle but rebounds nicely with the delicious faux-soul feel of “Funny Little Frog” in which Stuart Murdoch praises a lover as “the funny little frog in my throat.” Followed by the buoyant gem “To Be Myself Completely” and “Act of the Apostle II,” this trio of songs is the strongest stretch of the album. The Life Pursuit skillfully retains the best elements of Belle and Sebastian’s catalog while allowing the group to expand and experiment with fresh sonic textures. Well-produced and lushly arranged, this album ranks among the band’s greatest successes. [www.belleandsebastian.com]